The Madagascar commemorative medal (French: Médaille commémorative de Madagascar) was a French commemorative medal isuued to the participants to the First Madagascar expedition in 1883, and the Second Madagascar expedition in 1894-95. Two different medals were issued, the first one by the law of 31 July 1886, the second one by the law of 15 January 1896.[1]

1.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks

2.
First Madagascar expedition
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The First Madagascar expedition was the beginning of the Franco-Hova War and consisted of a French military expedition against the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar in 1883. It was followed by the Second Madagascar expedition in 1895, the Merina King, Radama I, managed to unite Madagascar under one rule, benefiting from British weapons and military instructors. He signed treaties with the British, allowing Protestant missionaries and outlawing the slave trade, when Queen Ranavalona I took power in 1828, relationships with foreign powers gradually soured. By the mid-1830s, nearly all foreigners had chosen to leave or were expelled, an exception, the Frenchman Jean Laborde, was able to remain in the island to build foundries and an armament industry. Meanwhile, the Queens son Prince Rakoto had been under the influence of French nationals at Antananarivo, in 1854, a letter destined for Napoleon III that he dictated and signed was utilized by the French government as a basis for future invasion of Madagascar. A coup to topple the Queen and replace her by her son was planned, in which Laborde. Upon the death of the queen, her son took over as King Radama II in 1861 and this assassination was treated as successful at the time, although later evidence suggests Radama survived the attack and lived to old age as a regular citizen outside the capital. He was succeeded to the throne by his apparent widow Rasoherina, the Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony revoked the Lambert Treaty in 1863. From 1864, Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony endeavored to modernize the state by putting an end to slavery in 1877, modernizing the system in 1878. Under the anglophile Rainilaiarivony, British influence grew considerably in the economic, the non-respect of the Lambert Charter and the letter to Napoleon III were used by the French as the pretext to invade Madagascar in 1883. This triggered the first phase of the Franco-Hova War, the decision was taken to send the naval division of Admiral Le Timbre. The French under Admiral Pierre bombarded the northwestern coast and occupied Majunga in May 1885, when the ultimatum was refused, France bombarded the east coast, occupied Toamasina, and arrested the English missionary Shaw. Meanwhile, Queen Ranavalona II died, as did Admiral Pierre, Admiral Pierre was replaced by Admiral Galiber, and then Counter-Admiral Miot. A Treaty was signed in December 1885, the French interpreting it as a Protectorate Treaty, while Queen Ranavalona III, the Treaty included the acceptance of a French resident in Antananarivo and the payment of an indemnity of 10 million. The Treaty however remained without effect, and would lead to the Second Madagascar expedition in 1895, history of Madagascar France in the long nineteenth century

3.
Second Madagascar expedition
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The Second Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894-1895, sealing the conquest of the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar by France. It was the last phase of the Franco-Hova War and followed the First Madagascar expedition of 1883-85, Madagascar was at the time an independent country, ruled from the capital of Antananarivo by the Merina dynasty from the central highlands. Resident-general Charles Le Myre de Vilers broke negotiation and effectively declared war on the Malagasy monarchy, an expeditionary corps was sent under General Jacques Duchesne. First, the harbor of Toamasina on the east coast, and Mahajanga on the west coast, were bombarded and occupied in December 1894 and January 1895 respectively. Some troops were landed, but the main expeditionary force arrived in May 1895, numbering about 15,000 men. The campaign was to place during the rainy season, with disastrous consequences for the French expeditionary corps. As soon as the French landed, revolts erupted here and there against the Merina government of Queen Ranavalona III, the uprisings were variously against the government, slave labor, Christianization. As the French force advanced towards Antananarivo, they had to build a road along the way, by August 1895, the French were only mid-way at Andriba where there were numerous Malagasy fortifications but only limited fighting. Disease, especially malaria, but also dysentery and typhoid fever, was taking a toll on the French expeditionary corps. The expedition was a disaster, about 1/3 of the force died of disease. Altogether, there were 6,000 deaths in the expedition, the Malagasy Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Rainilaiarivony tried to resist at Tsarasaotra on 29 June 1895, and at Andriba on 22 August 1895. He again attacked the Duchesne flying column in September, but his elite troops were decimated by the French. Duchesne had to send a column from Andriba on 14 September 1895, formed of Algerian and African soldiers as well as marines and accompanied by pack mules. They arrived at the end of September, an artillery battery was trained on the royal palace from the heights around the capital, and high-explosive shells were fired on the palace, killing many. In the whole conflict, there were only a few skirmishes, the conquest of the island was formalized by the 6 August 1896 vote at the French National Assembly, which resulted in favor of the annexation of Madagascar. Despite the success of the expedition, the quelling of the sporadic rebellions would take eight years until 1905. During that time, insurrections against the Malagasy Christians of the island, missionaries, Queen Ranavalona III was deposed in January 1897 and was exiled to Algiers in Algeria, where she died in 1917. Disease and empire, the health of European troops in the conquest of Africa by Philip D, curtin Ingram, Priestley Herbert France overseas, a study of modern imperialism

4.
French language
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to Frances past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, a French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is a language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie. As of 2015, 40% of the population is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas. French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, 1/5 of Europeans who do not have French as a mother tongue speak French as a second language. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers, approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, in 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. Under the Constitution of France, French has been the language of the Republic since 1992. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland called Romandie, of which Geneva is the largest city. French is the language of about 23% of the Swiss population. French is also a language of Luxembourg, Monaco, and Aosta Valley, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands. A plurality of the worlds French-speaking population lives in Africa and this number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050, French is the fastest growing language on the continent. French is mostly a language in Africa, but it has become a first language in some urban areas, such as the region of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Libreville. There is not a single African French, but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth

5.
Orders, decorations, and medals of France
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This is a list of some of the modern orders, decorations and medals of France. Some like the Legion of Honour are awarded to both the forces and civilians. Others are decorations of a civilian or military character. Only four of the 19 Ministerial orders have survived the reform of the French system of decorations in 1963, the others were replaced by the Ordre national du Mérite. The ministerial honours include French military decorations, the existing ministerial orders, ministerial awards for acts of courage and honor medals, ribbons of the French military and civil awards

6.
Legion of Honour
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The Legion of Honour, full name National Order of the Legion of Honour, is the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits, established 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction, Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur, Grand Officier and Grand-Croix. The orders motto is Honneur et Patrie and its seat is the Palais de la Légion dHonneur next to the Musée dOrsay, in the French Revolution, all French orders of chivalry were abolished, and replaced with Weapons of Honour. The Légion however did use the organization of old French orders of chivalry, the badges of the legion also bear a resemblance to the Ordre de Saint-Louis, which also used a red ribbon. Napoleon originally created this to ensure political loyalty, the organization would be used as a facade to give political favours, gifts, and concessions. The Légion was loosely patterned after a Roman legion, with legionaries, officers, commanders, regional cohorts, the highest rank was not a grand cross but a Grand Aigle, a rank that wore all the insignia common to grand crosses. The members were paid, the highest of them extremely generously,5,000 francs to an officier,2,000 francs to a commandeur,1,000 francs to an officier,250 francs to a légionnaire. Napoleon famously declared, You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led, do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning. That is good only for the scholar in his study, the soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards. This has been quoted as It is with such baubles that men are led. The order was the first modern order of merit, under the monarchy, such orders were often limited to Roman Catholics, and all knights had to be noblemen. The military decorations were the perks of the officers, the Légion, however, was open to men of all ranks and professions—only merit or bravery counted. The new legionnaire had to be sworn in the Légion and it is noteworthy that all previous orders were crosses or shared a clear Christian background, whereas the Légion is a secular institution. The jewel of the Légion has five arms, in a decree issued on the 10 Pluviôse XIII, a grand decoration was instituted. This decoration, a cross on a sash and a silver star with an eagle, symbol of the Napoleonic Empire, became known as the Grand Aigle. After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804 and established the Napoleonic nobility in 1808, the title was made hereditary after three generations of grantees. Napoleon had dispensed 15 golden collars of the legion among his family and this collar was abolished in 1815. The Légion dhonneur was prominent and visible in the French Empire, the Emperor always wore it and the fashion of the time allowed for decorations to be worn most of the time

7.
Order of Liberation
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The Order of Liberation is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a high honour, second only after the Légion d’Honneur. Very few people, military units and communes were ever awarded it, a different order, the Médaille de la Résistance was created and awarded for lesser but still distinguished deeds by members of the Resistance. The Order of Liberation was established by General de Gaulle in order n°7, the object of the Order was to “reward people, of the military or civilian communities, who will have distinguished themselves in the task of liberating France and her Empire”. There were no restrictions as to age, sex, rank, origin or nationality, nor any regarding the nature of the deeds, the Order has a single rank, the title of Compagnon de la Libération. General de Gaulle, founder of the Order, was the only Grand Maître of the Order, the Order was usually bestowed by the traditional French military ceremony of prise darmes. The last awards to French citizens, units and communes were made on 23 January 1946, awards to foreign nationals were made until 1960. The medal of the Order is called the Croix de la Libération and it is a 31 mm wide by 33 mm high rectangular bronze shield bearing a 60 mm high vertical gladius on its obverse. On the blade of the gladius, a black enamelled Cross of Lorraine, on the reverse, in Latin, a relief inscription in bold letters on four rows, “PATRIAM SERVANDO VICTORIAM TULIT”. Green represents hope, black represents mourning, symbolizing the state of France in 1940, the ribbon at first had diagonal black stripes, but the Order was only awarded in that form during August–September 1942. Amongst the 1036 Companions of the Order,65 were killed before the end of the war, members of the French resistance, especially the more famous ones, often received the Order under their nom de guerre. The youngest, Mathurin Henrio, was 14 when he was dead by Nazi officers for refusing to answer questions on the whereabouts of Maquisards. On June 18,1996, at Mont Valérien, the 18 military units which had awarded the Cross of Liberation were given a green. Occupied by German troops and subjected to the harshest of repression, has given to the French, by individual and collective actions. By the blood of her children, showed to the whole World the French will for national liberation. Grenoble, awarded on May 4,1944 Heroic city at the vanguard of the French Resistance, draped in her pride, despite the arrest and the massacre of her best sons, put up a fierce fight to the Germans at every instant. Despising the interdictions given by the invaders and their accomplices, demonstrated on November 11,1943 her certainty of Victory and her will to take part in it. By her courage in the presence of the invader and by the energy with which she sustained the harshest of trials

8.
National Order of Merit (France)
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The National Order of Merit is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. It comprises about 187,000 members worldwide, the President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the order and appoints all its members by convention on the advice of the Government of France. The order has a common Chancellor and Chancery with the Legion of Honour, every Prime Minister of France is made a Grand cross of the order after 24 months of service. The medal of the order is a six-armed Maltese asterisk in gilt enamelled blue, the obverse central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République française. The reverse central disc has a set of crossed tricolores, surrounded by the name of the order, the badge is suspended by a laurel wreath. The star is worn by Grand-Croix and Grand Officier respectively, it is a twelve-armed sunburst, the central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République française and the name of the Order, and in turn surrounded by a wreath of laurel. The ribbon for the medal is a blue field. For the grade of Officier and above, a rosette is centered in the field, for the grades of Commandeur, Grand Officier, and Grand-Croix, the rosette is centered bar of silver, silver and gold, and a solid gold respectively

9.
Order of Agricultural Merit
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The Order of Agricultural Merit is an order bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contribution to agriculture. It was second in only to the Legion of honour within the French order of precedence when it was created. The original 1883 decree created a single order, only knights were thus decorated. The decree of 18 June 1887 added the grade of Officer and a third grade, the present form and statute of the Order of Agricultural Merit were outlined in decree 59-729 of 15 June 1959. The Order of Agricultural Merit rewards people who rendered services to agriculture whether in public duties or in the very practice of agriculture. It also rewards people who distinguished themselves in research or in related publications. There are two annual ceremonies, the first on 1 January and the second on the 14th of July. The annual contingent has been limited to 60 commanders,800 officers and 3,200 knights, a 5% contingency is allowed for people gaining direct entry into the order as officers or commanders for exceptional reasons. Foreigners receiving the order are not subject to the seniority clause, members of the Order of the Legion of Honour may be admitted to the Order of Agricultural Merit at the same rank they hold in the first. An award certificate always accompanies the order, on the reverse, the gilt medallion bears the relief inscription on three lines MÉRITE AGRICOLE1883, it is surrounded by a plain blue enamelled band. The officers and commanders badges also bear a gilt wreath, half vine and half olive branch, the members insignia is made of silver, the officers is made of silver-gilt, the commanders is made of silver-gilt or gold. The order hangs from a 37mm wide silk moiré green ribbon with 5mm amaranth vertical stripes located 1mm from the edges, the commanders insignia is worn on a cravat around the neck. Museum of the Legion of Honour

10.
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
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Its purpose is the recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields. Its origin is attributed to the Order of Saint-Michel as acknowledged by French government sources, membership is not, however, limited to French nationals, recipients include numerous foreign luminaries. Foreign recipients are admitted into the Order, without condition of age, the Order has three grades, Commandeur — medallion worn on necklet, up to twenty recipients a year. Officier — medallion worn on ribbon with rosette on left breast, chevalier — medallion worn on ribbon on left breast, up to 200 recipients a year. The reverse central disc features the head of Marianne on a golden background, the Commanders badge is topped by a gilt twisted ring. The ribbon of the Order is green with four white stripes, however, in the statutes there is a clause saying Les Officiers et les Commandeurs de la Légion dhonneur peuvent être directement promus à un grade équivalent dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres. Ribbons of the French military and civil awards Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, a Quebec order based in part on the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Nominations dans lOrdre des Arts et Lettres

11.
Honour medal for courage and devotion
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The Honour medal for courage and devotion is a French decoration than can be bestowed to individuals and whole units. It is awarded for acts of courage during a rescue, the Honour medal for courage and devotion was created on 2 March 1820 by King Louis XVIII. It has gone through several designs during its long history, the award was given its present name by a decree of 16 November 1901. Any person who risks his or her life to come to the rescue of one or many persons in danger, silver grades 1st and 2nd class, awarded only if previously awarded the bronze grade following a new act of courage during a rescue. The two grades are awarded for acts of courage. Silver-gilt grade, awarded only for the most intrepid acts to the bearer of two silver grade medals, gold grade, awarded as an outstanding testimony to a person having distinguished himself or herself through exceptional acts towards his or her fellow citizens. The Honour medal for courage and devotion may also be awarded to emergency. The design of the Honour medal for courage and devotion changed many times through the decades and it is now a 27mm in diameter circular medal struck in bronze, silver, silver-gilt or gold. Its obverse bears the image of a standing woman holding palms. The medal hangs from a 3cm wide silk moiré tricolour ribbon of equal width blue, white, the 3cm wide and 22mm high ribbon suspension loop is cast as an integral part of the medal in the form of oak leaves

12.
Honour medal of the National Police
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The Honour medal of the National Police is the highest award of the French National Police, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. Created by the Decree of 3 April 1903 at the request of Monsieur Émile Combes, Minister of the Interior, the decree of 17 November 1936 will rename it the Médaille d’honneur de la Police française. 96-342 of 22 April 1996 will give the medal its current designation, the award was extended in 1972, to administrative staff and senior officers of the National Police. The medal is awarded under the conditions, to police officers, for 20 years of service, to members of the administrative staff, for 25 years of combined civil. The award may be bestowed posthumously regardless of time of service and it may also be awarded in exceptional cases for acts of courage or exceptional service to the police force by national or foreign police officers regardless of time of service. Under these circumstances, the ribbon is adorned with a five pointed silver star. Award ceremonies take place annually in December, the Honour medal of the National Police, a design of engraver Marie Alexander Coudray, is a 27mm in diameter circular silver medal. Along the right circumference, the circular relief inscription POLICE FRANÇAISE. The reverse bears at its bottom a framed rectangular area destined to receive the name of the recipient, along the upper medal circumference, the relief inscription RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE, at its center, the inscription MINISTÈRE DE LINTÉRIEUR. The medal hangs from a 3cm wide silk moiré tricolour ribbon with an 8mm wide central stripe bordered by 6mm wide white stripes. The ribbons suspension loop is adorned with a composed of an olive branch. The Honour medal of the rural and municipal police in Algeria included a clasp on the ribbon consisting of a star placed on a crescent of Islam. Today, the only ribbon device is in the form of a five pointed star when the medal is awarded in exceptional circumstances

13.
Honour medal for firefighters
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The Honour medal for firefighters is a state decoration of France bestowed by the Ministry of the Interior to members of the French Fire Service. Not until 1875 was a service certificate established and bestowed for thirty years of service and this was the only means of recognizing the devotion to duty of Parisian and rural firemen until the establishment of the Honour medal for firefighters by a law of 16 February 1900. Another twenty two years would elapse until a decree of 14 March 1922 added a rosette to the ribbon of the medal to denote an act of bravery, a later law of 12 December 1934 added silver-gilt and gold grades to the medal for long service. A silver-gilt grade of the medal for service only came to be in 1962. The decree of 4 March 1981 saw a new design and ribbon for the Honour medal for firefighters awarded for exceptional service, the Honour medal for firefighters is bestowed to firefighters, who have always displayed devotion to duty, or, who have particularly distinguished themselves. When calculating seniority, military service is counted to the limit of service during peace time. Time spent in the military as part of a civil defence training unit counts toward award of the medal for service to volunteer firemen. In exceptional circumstances, it may also be awarded upon retirement after thirty years of service, both grades bestowed for exceptional service may be awarded posthumously regardless of seniority if death occurred in the line of duty. The Honour medal for firefighters, whether awarded for seniority or for bravery, is accompanied by an award certificate, the Honour medal for firefighters bestowed for long service is a 30mm in diameter circular medal. On either side, the inscription along the circumference RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. The medal is struck in silver, silver-gilt and gold, the silver grade awards ribbon suspension bar is adorned with opposing fire hose nozzles. Each grade above silver is denoted by an increasingly intricate ornamentation on the suspension bar. For the silver-gilt variant, this consists of crossed firemens axes superimposed over part of a ladder below horizontal fire hose nozzles, the gold variant replaces the nozzles with a laurel wreath. The relief image of flames at the bottom and on either side of the fire hall. At the top along the circumference, the relief semi circular inscription MINISTÈRE DE LINTÉRIEUR. All aforementioned awards hung from the same 28mm wide silk moiré yellow ribbon bearing four vertical 4 mm wide tricolour stripes positioned on the edges and 4 mm apart at the center. The rosette was made of the same ribbon, the current, post 1981 Honour medal for firefighters bestowed for exceptional services is a 32mm in diameter circular medal. The ribbon suspension bar is adorned with two crossed firemens axes resting atop two laurel branches from which flames shoot upwards to just above opposing horizontal fire hose nozzles, the medal is struck in silver or silver-gilt variants

14.
Order of Tahiti Nui
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The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. The insignia is a cross of four arms glazed in red enamel, the arms are connected by a circular crown of Tahitian gardenia enameled in green and white. The obverse center of the shows the Coat of arms of French Polynesia colored by enamel in orange, red. The reverse has the inscription in relief, Order of Tahiti Nui, the cross is suspended by another crown of Tahitian gardenia enameled in green and white. The ribbon is red with a central stripe in white. The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5,1996 by resolution of the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Organic Law of 12 April 1996 granted a plan of autonomy to the territory of French Polynesia, allowing it to freely determine distinctive signs reflective of the islands personality. The articles defining the order were adopted June 24,1996 by Order No.660 of the Council of Ministers of French Polynesia, the Bar Council deliberates on matters concerning the statutes of the Order. It also meets on appointments, promotions, and disciplinary issues of members of the Order and it certifies that appointments and promotions are made in accordance with regulations. The Chancery of the Order is headed by a chancellor who is general of the government of French Polynesia. The Order consists of 3 grades Knight, Officer, and Commander, the maximum of the Order is set to 450 holders distributed among the grades as follows,300 knights,100 officers,40 commanders,10 Grand Cross. Until the maximum number is reached, the appointments and promotions shall not exceed ten per cent of holders in each grade. To be received into the Order, the recipient must be of French nationality, to be appointed or promoted, he must meet the following, Knight, Minimum 15 years of services or activities of assorted distinguished merits. Officer, Minimum 7 years of seniority in the rank of Knight, Commander, Minimum 5 years of seniority in the rank of Officer. Grand Cross, Minimum 3 years of seniority in the rank of Commander, during the course of their duties, members of the territorial government and advisers can be appointed or promoted in the Order of Tahiti Nui. Persons of foreign nationality who have distinguished themselves by their merits in respect to French Polynesia can be awarded a distinction in the Order of Tahiti Nui, Tahiti is the first Pacific Islands nation to reach the knockout stage of a FIFA tournament. )

15.
Cross for Military Valour
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The Cross for Military Valour is a military decoration of France. The Cross for Military Valour is usually awarded for security or peacekeeping operations and it was established in 1956 to reward soldiers, sailors, and airmen serving in Algeria who had committed acts of valour or gallantry in combat. Algeria was a department of France at the time, so it was not considered a declared war, therefore, the War Cross for foreign operational theatres, which had been awarded for valiant service in Indochina, was not considered appropriate. Médaille de la Valeur Militaire was created on 11 April 1956 with a system of distinctions. To put it on the level as the Croix de guerre. Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Tchad, cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Congo | Zaïre | Democratic Republic of the Congo Haiti Irag and Syria Ivory Coast Lebanon Liberia Libya. Sénégal, Burkina Faso, Mauritanie, Mali and Niger, tunisia The grades of the Cross are insignia of a mention in dispatches, which can be of one of five levels matching the valour displayed by the recipient while in presence of an enemy. They are named after historical formation of the French military, the 1956 Cross was meant principally for soldiers, but a provision was made for civilians participating in a peacekeeping operation. On 2 December 2005 this provision was amended in order to reward only civllian employees of the Ministry of Defence on official missions overseas, originally, the cross was not awarded to members of foreign militaries or governments. This restriction was lifted on 9 November 2011 for acts of valour or performed valiant service while on joint operations with French forces, collective awards can be made to military units, both French and foreign, since 2011. When a unit has decorated twice with the Cross at its highest level, the four first grades of the Cross can be awarded by Chef détat-major des Armées, but the Cross with Palm decoration is only awarded by the Minister of Defence. Medal, suspended from a ribbon is a 36 mm bronze cross, with an effigy of the Republic crowned with a wreath, with the edge embossed, on the reverse is the inscription, Croix de la Valeur militaire. Ribbon, a red bar with three white bands, a centered 7 mm band, with a smaller 2 mm band on each end. La marque du courage, croix de guerre, valeur militaire, site traitant des décorations militaires et civiles françaises Les décorations françaises

16.
Resistance Medal
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The Resistance medal was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. The Resistance medal was awarded to approximately 38,288 living persons and 24,463 posthumously and these awards were both for membership in the Free French forces and for participation in the metropolitan clandestine Resistance during the German occupation of France in World War II. Higher deeds were rewarded with the Ordre de la Libération, proposals for the medal ceased to be accepted on 31 March 1947. For acts that occurred in Indochina, however, that date was moved back to 31 December 1947, the Resistance medal may be revoked by decree following any act contrary to honour or integrity, whether committed prior to or after bestowal of the medal. The Resistance medal is a 37mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze, the reverse bears the relief image of an unfurling ribbon bearing the relief inscription in Latin PATRIA NON IMMEMOR translating into THE NATION DOES NOT FORGET. The suspension is cast as an part of the medal. A 28mm in diameter rosette is on the ribbon of the Officer of the Resistance medal

17.
Escapees' Medal
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The Escapees Medal was established by a 1926 law, intended to honour combatants not only of the First World War, but also of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Its statute was amended to include combatants of the Second World War. To civilians interned in Germany, or living in occupied by the enemy. The award criteria for the Second World War were long in coming, a decree of 7 February 1959 allowed for award of the medal, followed by an Order on 20 May 1959 and detailed instructions on 10 July 1959. The medal can be awarded to both French citizens and foreign nationals serving in the ranks of the French armed forces, civilians and members of the military killed, or who have died as a result of wounds received during an escape attempt, are automatically awarded the medal. A decree of 28 December 1981 states that any person eligible for the Escapees Medal is asked to put forward a request. Some members of the regiment went into the resistance, and others joined the Free French in Africa, a survivor of the Vel dHiv Roundup, Joseph Weismann, was awarded the Escapees Medal in 2014 even though he did not meet the criteria set out in the 1959 decree. At the age of 11, Weismann had escaped from Beaune-la-Rolande transit camp, Weismann had been applying for the Escapees Medal over a period of about 15 years before the French government finally awarded it to him. The Escapees Medal is a 30 mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze and its design is from the French engraver A. Dubois. Its obverse bears the left profile bust of Marianne crowned with branches of oak, along the outer circumference. On its reverse, at center, the inscription on three rows surrounded by a wreath of oak branches

18.
Volunteer combatant's cross
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The Volunteer combatants cross was a French decoration that originally recognized those who volunteered to serve in a combat unit during World War II. It is the equivalent of the 1914-1918 Volunteer combatants cross and this decoration is equivalent to that awarded to the soldiers of the First World War. On the reverse, inside the medallion, a branch of laurel is surrounded by the inscription. The reverse of the 1983 version has no date, the cross arms are covered with leaves of laurel and oak forming relief. The Volunteer combatants cross was created to honor those who participated in an armed conflict. From what he has in fact present in a unit recognized fighter. The Volunteer combatants cross is considered a war decoration during the review of applications for Légion dhonneur, ribbons of the French military and civil awards http, //www. france-phaleristique. com/accueil. htm http, //www. fncv. com/decorations/07_croix_combattant_volontaire. html

19.
Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant
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This award was created by a special law in 1954 and awarded to those who had been designated and issued cards certifying them as voluntary resistance fighters. Those executed, killed or injured in an act of resistance, a 1989 law removed all previously enacted time constraints for application of the status of resistance volunteer combatant. The Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant, a design of engraver Frédéric de Vernon, is a 36 mm wide cross pattée made of gilt bronze. On the obverse, over the central medallion of the cross, on the reverse, the relief inscription on three lines on the central medallion COMBATTANT VOLONTAIRE RÉSISTANCE. The cross is suspended by a ring through a loop which is an integral part of the top of the upper cross arm

20.
Combatant's Cross
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The Combatants Cross is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus of World War I worked toward recognition by the government, the law of 19 December 1926 created la carte du combatant, or combatants card, for veterans of 1914-1918, as well as for the veterans of 1870-1871 and colonial wars before the First World War. The decoration was created three years later by the law of 28 June 1930. The law of 18 July 1952 extended the benefit of the award of the Croix du combattant for Indochina, the law of December 9,1974 extended the award of the Combatants Cross to operations in North Africa between 1 January 1952 and July 2,1962. There is a set of requirements for each conflict or military operation in regards to the granting of the combatant card. On the obverse at center, the effigy of the Republic wearing an Adrians helmet crowned with laurel leaves surrounded by the relief inscription REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE. On the reverse the relief inscription CROIX DU COMBATTANT along the lower circumference framing a vertical sword pointing down, rays protruding horizomtally and up from the hilt in a 180° arc

21.
Aeronautical Medal
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The Aeronautical Medal is a state decoration of France established by the decree of February 14,1945. It is awarded to military personnel and civilians for outstanding accomplishments related to the field of aeronautics. Originally envisioned before the Second World War, it was intended as an equal to the Order of Maritime Merit, the intent was to create an aerial order of merit intended for civilian and military personnel working in aeronautics. The war temporarily put an end to the project until February 1945, in case of the absence of any member of the council, an interim member is named by decree of the related authority. This same council has the authority to propose the revocation of the decoration for serious breaches of honour, the details of the workings of such a proposal would be made by ministerial decree. The Aeronautical Medal is limited to no more than 275 new recipients per year and it is awarded for professional valour to both civilians and military pilots and non pilots serving under the Ministry of Defence or the Department of Transportation. It is awarded to citizens who have distinguished themselves in the development of military or civil aviation, sports aviation, airports and it can be awarded for prowess in the air, an act of heroism in the air, or for particularly unusual work or research in aviation. Finally, the medal can be awarded for service during serious air related accidents. The medal can be awarded posthumously and to foreign nationals, the medal is rectangular and of gilt metal. The obverse bears the left profile of Marianne from the 1940s representing France, below Marianne. The medal is enamelled in red except for Marianne, the inscription, the medal is suspended to a 37 mm wide royal blue silk moiré ribbon by a wing shaped pendant with a relief five pointed star at its center and an horizontal slot to receive the ribbon. The reverse bears the inscription on four lines MÉDAILLE DE LAÉRONAUTIQUE1945, wang Tung-yi Oct.2012 Ribbons of the French military and civil awards France Phaléristique Entente Combattants

22.
Overseas Medal
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The Overseas Medal is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces for participating in operations outside national territory. It replaced the French Colonial Medal by decree on 6 June 1962, ribbon, sky blue with three vertical white bands, the two side ones of 2mm and the central one of 7mm Medal, the work of engraver Georges Lemaire, in silver. A helmeted allegorical effigy of a woman as the personification of the French Republic, the reverse shows a terrestrial globe on top of trophies of military conquest with the words MEDAILLE DOUTRE-MER Link, Silver laurel branches. Bars, Gilt, showing the territory where the campaign occurred, as of January 28,2008, the campaign clasp is awarded for fifteen days of consecutive service or a cumulative equivalent of non-consecutive days. Mauritanie, awarded to all French personnel, military or otherwise, who served in Mauritania from November 1977 to July 1990, regardless of length of service. france-phaleristique. com/accueil. htm

23.
National Defence Medal
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The National Defence Medal is a French military decoration. It was created by Charles Hernu, Minister of Defence and established by decree on April 21,1982 and it rewards particularly honourable service rendered by military personnel for their participation in operational activities. The medal has three levels, Gold, Silver and Bronze, points are earned through participation in exercises, operations, proficiency, initiative, awards received, etc. People who had awarded the ordre de la Légion dhonneur or the ordre du mérite can not receive the Médaille for military service. He or she is awarded the Médaille de la Défense Nationale at the Gold level, adorned with a ribbon device depending on the level of the mention, in the same manner as for the Croix de Guerre. The National Defence Medal is a 36 mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze, the level is gilt. The obverse bears the image of Rudes Marseillaise with the relief inscription along the upper circumference FRENCH REPUBLIC